Device for holding and bundling newspapers

ABSTRACT

A device for holding and bundling newspaper is made essentially of bent wire and comprises two end walls and a bottom wall for engaging the two sides and bottom, respectively, of a stack of newspapers placed therein. The newspapers carried by the device extend outwardly beyond the bottom wall of the device at both of their ends so that the end portions of the stack are free to receive cord passed therearound for tying the stack into a bundle. Prior to bundling the device holds the newspapers in a cupped condition so as to inhibit downward sag of their unsupported end portions, and the device includes a container for a ball of cord used in tying the bundles.

[ June 19, 1973 United States Patent 1 Howard [54] DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND BUNDLING 2,636,432 4/1953 NEWSPAPERS 828,900 8/1906 Piercem. 3,200,959 8/1965 [75] 'lnventor: William E. Howard, West Hartford,

Conn.

[73] Assignee: Materials Handling Systems, Inc.,

Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum AttomeyRoger B. McCormick et al.

West Hartford, Conn.

Aug. 18,1971

[57] ABSTRACT A device for holding and bundling newspaper is made [22] Filed:

essentially of bent wire and comprises two end walls and a bottom wall for engaging the two sides and bottom, respectively, of a stack of newspapers placed therein. The newspapers carried by the device extend outwardly beyond the bottom wall of the device at both of their ends so that the end portions of the stack are free to receive cord passed therearound for tying the stack into a bundle. Prior to bundling the device holds References Cited-- UNITED STATES PATENTS the newspapers in a cupped condition so as to inhibit downward sag of their unsupported end portions, and

wrmwm H Wm em I n m mmm BJCDT 904 0 6657 9999 llll l/l/ 844 00283 .2ll9o 94608 53793 3 32233 the device includes a container for a ball of cord used in tying the bundles.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures M uwkw m 69/ n. v m \/\m m 6/1962 Orelind Patented June 19, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WlLLiAM E. HOWARD Patented June 19, 1973 3,739,714

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device for holding and bundling newspapers, and deals more particularly with such a device which is made essentially from bent wire and which includes a container for holding a supply of bundling cord and a cutter for cutting such cord.

Newspapers once read are customarily thrown away rather than saved. Usually, they constitute, when accumulated for a short period of time, a sizable amount of bulk so that their disposal sometimes becomes a problem, particularly if incorporated into the other trash and waste of the home. Furthermore, newspapers represent one waste item which can be recycled, and when such recycling is desired, it is important that newspapers be segregated from other waste and accumulated separately.

In accumulating newspapers separate from other trash, for whatever reason, it is the standard practice to place them one on top of another in their normal folded condition until a reasonable sized stack is formed and to then tie such stack into a bundle by passing cord around the stack and tying the cord. Without some means to hold the stack during the accumulation process, however, the stack often times becomes disarrayed and unsightly and requires increased work for bundling. Also, even if the stack is in neat condition, its bundling requires a fair amount of manual effort in picking up and turning the stack as the cord is passed therearound.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a simple device for holding newspapers in a neat condition while they are accumulated into a reasonably sized stack and which device further holds the completed stack in such a condition that it may be tied with very little effort into a bundle before it is removed from the device. Other objects are to make the device one which is economical to make and of a simple construction adapting it to home use. In keeping with these objects, further objects are to include in the device a container for receiving a ball of cord used to tie the stacks into bundles and a simple cutter for cutting the cord.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention resides in a device made essentially of bent wire pieces welded to one another for holding and bundling newspapers. Basically, the device comprises two upright wire end walls which are spaced form one another by a distance equal approximately to the normal width of folded newspapers and a bottom wall connected to and extending between the end wall. Legs, which may be provided by the end walls, support the bottom wall vertically above a floor or other given horizontal supporting surface, and a container for a ball of cord is attached to and located below the bottom wall. By engagement with the sides of folded newspapers placed therein, the end walls retain the accumulated newspapers in a neat stack. The bottom wall, as measured along the length of newspapers placed therein, is of substantially less length than the newspapers, so that the ends of the newspapers project a substantial distance outwardly in unsupported fashion from the bottom wall, thereby leaving such end portions free for the passage of bundling cord therearound. Preferably, the end walls are spaced from one another by a distance substantially less than the width of the folded newspaper and/or the bottom is curved upwardly adjacent each of the end walls so that the newspapers placed in the device are constrained to assume a cupped shaped which inhibits downward sagging of the unsupported end portions thereof. The end walls of the device are preferably inverted U-shaped pieces of wire and the bottom wall consists essentially of two generally horizontal pieces of wire extending between the U-shaped end wall pieces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of a newspaper holding and bundling device embodying the present invention, the device being shown empty of newspapers.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 with the device being shown filled with newspapers.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 3 showing the cutter in more detail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning to the drawings, a device embodying this invention is shown generally at 10 and comprises two end walls 12, 12 and a bottom wall 14. Attached to and located below the bottom wall 14 is a container 16 for holding a ball 18 of cord 20 used for bundling newspapers placed in the device. Attached to one of the end walls 12 is a cutter 22 which may be used to cut the cord 20 as required for bundling.

In the illustrated case, each end wall 12 constitutes a piece of wire which is bent into an inverted U-shape so as to include two generally vertical portions 24, 24. Also included in each end wall is a horizontal piece of wire 26 which extends between the two vertical portions 24, 24 near the tops thereof and which is welded to such portions. The vertical portions 24, 24 of each U-shaped piece extend downwardly beyond the bottom wall 14 and serve as legs for supporting the bottom wall 14 a substantial distance above the floor or other horizontal supporting surface on which the legs may be placed.

The bottom wall 14 of the device 10 comprises two main pieces 2%, 28 of wire each of which extends between one of the vertical portions 24, 24 of one of the end walls and the corresponding portion 24 of the other end wall, the wires 28, 28 being fixed at their ends to the portions 24, 24 by welding. The bottom wall also includes two secondary pieces 30, 30 of wire extending transversely between the two main pieces 28, 28 and welded to the two main pieces at their ends. The two secondary pieces 30, 30 are spaced from one another along the lengths of the pieces 28, 28 and are arranged generally at right angles to the pieces 28, 28.

The cord container 16 is attached to the two secondary pieces 30, 30 of the bottom wall and is made of a number of wire pieces welded to one another, these including four generally upwardly extending pieces at the corners of the container which are welded to the secondary pieces 30, 30. At one end, the container 16 includes a plate 32 having an opening 34 through which the cord 20 may pass, and preferably in its use, the cord 20 is looped around the piece 26 nearest the plate 32, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to keep the free end of the cord readily available. The ball 18 of cord placed in the container 16 is preferably one which is wound so that as the cord is withdrawn it is pulled from the center of the ball. Also, the cord is preferably made of a material which may be recycled along with the newspapers bundled thereby so that at the recycling plant the cord need not be removed from the bundles. As to this, cord of the type made of kraft paper has been found to be most satisfactory.

In addition to the parts described above, the device may also include two pieces 36, 36 of wire extending between the end walls l2, 12 below the bottom wall 14, as shown, and welded to the end walls to provide extra stability for the end walls. The bottom ends of the vertical portions 24, 24 of the end walls, which serve as legs, also preferably include rubber or plastic tips 38, 38 to prevent the legs from scratching the surface on which they are placed.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the device 10 filled with a stack 40 of newspapers. From FIG. 2, it will be noted that the size of the bottom wall 14 as measured along the length of the newspapers is substantially less than the length of the newspapers so that the newspapers project a substantial distance outwardly beyond either side of the bottom wall. ln the illustrated device, the length of the bottom wall is shown to be approximately one third the length of the newspapers so that the newspapers received in the device have their middle third supported by the bottom wall and their outer thirds unsupported. This is of particular benefit in the tying of the newspapers into a bundle as the cord used to tie the bundle may be readily passed around each of the unsupported free ends of the stack without any need for lifting or turning the stack. In FIG. 2, the reference numerals 42, 42 represent lengths of the cord tied around the stack 40 to form it into a bundle.

Before the cord is tied around the stack, and as the newspapers accumulate, the unsupported free ends of the newspapers are inhibited from sagging downwardly by virtue of the fact that the device 10 holds then in a slightly cupped shaped as shown in FIG. 3. This cupping of the newspapers may be achieved in one or the other of two ways, and preferably both methods are used simultaneously. The first way of causing the newspapers to cup is to space the two end walls 12, 12 from one another by a distance which is slightly less that the width of the newspapers in their normal folded condition. Therefore, as the newspapers are placed in the device l0, engagement with the end walls l2, l2 forces them to assume the cupped shape. The second way of obtaining the cupped shape is to curve the bottom wall 14 upwardly at both of its ends adjacent the two end walls l2, 12 so that as the newspapers rest on the bottom wall, they assume the cupped shape of the bottom wall. In the illustrated device, both of these methods are used. That is, both the end walls l2, 12 are spaced closer to one another than the width of the papers and the bottom wall, more particularly each of its two main pieces 28, 28 is curved upwardly adjacent the end walls l2, 12 so that the bottom wall itself has a somewhat cupped shape which is assumed by the newspapers resting thereon.

The cutter 22 in the illustrated device is attached to one of the vertical portions 24, 24 of the end wall closest to the plate 32 of the container 16. FIG. 4 shows this cutter in more detail and, referring to it, it will be noted that it comprises a U-shaped blade carrier 44 which is made of wire and which in fact constitutes a continuation of the wire used for one of the pieces 36, 36.

Welded to the carrier 44 is a blade 46 having a generally downwardly facing sharp edge 48 arranged at an angle to the two legs of the carrier. Therefore, by placing the cord within the opening of the U-shaped carrier and pulling upwardly, the cord is brought against the sharp edge 48 of the knife and is also drawn toward the apex formed by the intersection of the edge 48 and the illustrated right hand one of the carrier, thereby enabling the cord to be readily cut by one hand.

I claim:

1. A device for holding and bundling newspapers comprising two upright wire end walls parallel to and spaced from one another by a distance equal to approximately the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used, a generally horizontal wire bottom wall connected to and extending between said end walls, said bottom wall serving to vertically support a stack of folded newspapers placed thereon and said end walls serving to engage the sides of said newspapers to confine them to a neat arrangement, said bottom wall having a dimension measured in the direction of the length of folded newspapers placed thereon substantially less than the length of such newspapers so that the outer ends of such newspapers extend beyond said bottom wall and are unsupported and free for the wrapping of cord therearound when tying the newspapers into a bundle, a container for a ball of cord attached to and located below said bottom wall so as to hold a ball of cord below the stack of newspapers received on said bottom wall, and means providing legs for supporting said bottom in vertically spaced relation to a given horizontal supporting surface.

2. A device for holding and bundling newspapers as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said end walls being spaced from one another by a distance less than the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used so that newspapers placed on said bottom wall are forced by engagement with said side walls to take a transversely cupped shape inhibiting downward sag of the free end portions of said newspaper which project outwardly beyond said bottom wall.

3. A device for holding and bundling newspapers as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said bottom wall being curved upwardly adjacent each of said end walls so that newspapers placed on said bottom wall will assume a transversely cupped shape inhibiting downward sag of the free end portions of said newspapers which project outwardly beyond said bottom wall.

4. A device for bundling newspapers as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said end walls being spaced from one another by a distance less than the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used and by said bottom wall being curved upwardly adjacent each of said end walls so that newspapers placed in said device by engagement with said end walls and said bottom will assume a transversely cupped shape inhibiting downward sag of the free end portions of said newspapers which project outwardly beyond said bottom wall.

5. A device as defined in claim 1 further characterized by a cutter means attached to one of the previously mentioned parts of said device and including a sharpened stationary blade for cutting the cord carried by said container.

6. A device for holding and bundling newspapers comprising two upright wire end walls spaced from one another by a distance equal to approximately the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used, a generally horizontal wire bottom wall connected to and extending between said end walls, said bottom wall serving to vertically support a stack of folded newspapers placed thereon and said end walls serving to engage the sides of said newspapers to confine them to a neat arrangement, a container for a ball of cord attached to and located below said bottom wall so as to hold a ball of cord below the stack of newspapers received on said bottom walls, and means providing legs for supporting said bottom in vertically spaced relation to a given horizontal supporting surface, said end walls each comprising an inverted U-shaped piece of wire having two generally vertical portions spaced from one another along the length of folded newspapers placed on said bottom wall and the lower parts of which vertical portions constitute said legs, said bottom wall comprising two main pieces of wire each extending from a respective one of said vertical portions of one of said U-shaped pieces of wire to the corresponding vertical portion of the other of said U-shaped pieces, said two main pieces being parallel to one another and generally horizontal, said bottom wall also including two secondary spaced and parallel pieces of wire extending between said two main pieces at approximately right angles to the latter, said cord container being connected to said two secondary pieces of wire.

7. A device for holding and bundling newspapers comprising two upright wire end walls spaced from one another by a distance equal to approximately the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used, a generally horizontal wire bottom wall connected to and extending between said end walls, said bottom wall serving to vertically support a stack of folded newspapers placed thereon and said end walls serving to engage the sides of said newspapers to confine them to a neat arrangement, a container for a ball of cord attached to and located below said bottom wall so as to hold a ball of cord below the stack of newspapers received on said bottom wall, means providing legs for supporting said bottom in vertically spaced relation to a given horizontal supporting surface, said end walls each comprising an inverted U-shaped piece of wire having two generally vertical portions spaced from one another along the length of folded newspapers placed on said bottom wall and the lower parts of which vertical portions constitute said legs, and a cutter means attached to one of said vertical portions of one of said U- shaped members and including a sharpened stationary blade for cutting the cord carried by said container. 

1. A device for holding and bundling newspapers compriSing two upright wire end walls parallel to and spaced from one another by a distance equal to approximately the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used, a generally horizontal wire bottom wall connected to and extending between said end walls, said bottom wall serving to vertically support a stack of folded newspapers placed thereon and said end walls serving to engage the sides of said newspapers to confine them to a neat arrangement, said bottom wall having a dimension measured in the direction of the length of folded newspapers placed thereon substantially less than the length of such newspapers so that the outer ends of such newspapers extend beyond said bottom wall and are unsupported and free for the wrapping of cord therearound when tying the newspapers into a bundle, a container for a ball of cord attached to and located below said bottom wall so as to hold a ball of cord below the stack of newspapers received on said bottom wall, and means providing legs for supporting said bottom in vertically spaced relation to a given horizontal supporting surface.
 2. A device for holding and bundling newspapers as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said end walls being spaced from one another by a distance less than the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used so that newspapers placed on said bottom wall are forced by engagement with said side walls to take a transversely cupped shape inhibiting downward sag of the free end portions of said newspaper which project outwardly beyond said bottom wall.
 3. A device for holding and bundling newspapers as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said bottom wall being curved upwardly adjacent each of said end walls so that newspapers placed on said bottom wall will assume a transversely cupped shape inhibiting downward sag of the free end portions of said newspapers which project outwardly beyond said bottom wall.
 4. A device for bundling newspapers as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said end walls being spaced from one another by a distance less than the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used and by said bottom wall being curved upwardly adjacent each of said end walls so that newspapers placed in said device by engagement with said end walls and said bottom will assume a transversely cupped shape inhibiting downward sag of the free end portions of said newspapers which project outwardly beyond said bottom wall.
 5. A device as defined in claim 1 further characterized by a cutter means attached to one of the previously mentioned parts of said device and including a sharpened stationary blade for cutting the cord carried by said container.
 6. A device for holding and bundling newspapers comprising two upright wire end walls spaced from one another by a distance equal to approximately the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used, a generally horizontal wire bottom wall connected to and extending between said end walls, said bottom wall serving to vertically support a stack of folded newspapers placed thereon and said end walls serving to engage the sides of said newspapers to confine them to a neat arrangement, a container for a ball of cord attached to and located below said bottom wall so as to hold a ball of cord below the stack of newspapers received on said bottom walls, and means providing legs for supporting said bottom in vertically spaced relation to a given horizontal supporting surface, said end walls each comprising an inverted U-shaped piece of wire having two generally vertical portions spaced from one another along the length of folded newspapers placed on said bottom wall and the lower parts of which vertical portions constitute said legs, said bottom wall comprising two main pieces of wire each extending from a respective one of said vertical portions of one of said U-shaped pieces of wire to the corresponding vertical portion of the other of said U-shaped pieces, Said two main pieces being parallel to one another and generally horizontal, said bottom wall also including two secondary spaced and parallel pieces of wire extending between said two main pieces at approximately right angles to the latter, said cord container being connected to said two secondary pieces of wire.
 7. A device for holding and bundling newspapers comprising two upright wire end walls spaced from one another by a distance equal to approximately the normal width of folded newspapers with which the device is to be used, a generally horizontal wire bottom wall connected to and extending between said end walls, said bottom wall serving to vertically support a stack of folded newspapers placed thereon and said end walls serving to engage the sides of said newspapers to confine them to a neat arrangement, a container for a ball of cord attached to and located below said bottom wall so as to hold a ball of cord below the stack of newspapers received on said bottom wall, means providing legs for supporting said bottom in vertically spaced relation to a given horizontal supporting surface, said end walls each comprising an inverted U-shaped piece of wire having two generally vertical portions spaced from one another along the length of folded newspapers placed on said bottom wall and the lower parts of which vertical portions constitute said legs, and a cutter means attached to one of said vertical portions of one of said U-shaped members and including a sharpened stationary blade for cutting the cord carried by said container. 